Month: June 2016

Idolaters Beware… God is a Jealous God!
by David J. StewartWhat is the message of Fatima?

Woe unto Catholics! Our Lady of Fatima is a dirty Satanic hoax perpetrated by the Catholic religion. It is of the Devil and blatant idolatry. Roman Catholics claim that a supernatural event occurred in 1917 in which the “Blessed Virgin Mary” appeared repeatedly to 3 children in Fatima, Portugal.
Supposedly, the Virgin Mary gave a message to the 3 children. The Message of Fatima consists of an alleged number of precise predictions, requests, warnings and promises concerning the Catholic faith and the world, which were conveyed by the Blessed Virgin Mary to 3 shepherd children—Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco—in a series of ghostly apparitions at Fatima, Portugal from May to October 1917. An “apparition” means “the unexpected or unusual appearance of a ghostly figure.” It’s a scam, a falsehood, a lie of the Devil, unscriptural in every way.
Many Catholic cultures pass a statue of Our lady of Fatima around from house-to-house throughout the year. It’s considered a good-luck charm while in their home. The heathen statue is adorned in the center of their living room, given undivided attention by the family, and it is worshipped, which is the horrible sin of idolatry. Exodus 20:5 says that those who bow and pray to statues HATE God.Exodus 20:4-5, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt NOT BOW DOWN THYSELF TO THEM, nor serve them: for I theLORD thy Godam a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation ofTHEM THAT HATE ME.” I make no apologies to rain on your parade when I speak the TRUTH… God hates the Catholic Church! God loves people, but God hates IDOLATRY.
Often, a photo of Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco

is passed around amongst the idolatrous group, as they feast on food and praise the graven image. They talk about the alleged miracle of Our lady of Fatima. Then the photo is placed next to the statue, adorned so beautifully as the centerpiece of their living room. The graven image is alleged to bring a special blessing upon the home. One Catholic man told me that he waited for 8-years, only after persistent request, to finally have the statue of Our Lady of Fatima brought to his home for one week. The man’s family fried fish and praised the demonic image, praying to the image, and committing idolatry instead of worshipping God in spirit and in truth as John 4:24 commands. Our lady of Fatima is a rotten hoax, a sinister TRADITION of men passed down from generation to generation. The hoax of Fatima allegedly happened in 1917, later turned into official Catholic dogma by the Vatican, provoking the wrath of God.
If you have a statue in your home of Our Lady of Fatima, or Our lady of Guadalupe, or The Image of Divine Mercy (allegedly seen by sister Faustina), then you are committing the wicked sin of IDOLATRY, spitting on my God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Catholics are arrogant, sinfully proud, and Jesus said about them: “Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:9).
Catholics have been deceitfully taught by the demonic Vatican that statues are no different than a picture of one’s family and loved ones. Catholics are taught that adoration of statues is similar to looking at a photo of one’s family and feeling love and admiration. However, this is a fraudulent teaching by the Vatican, because no one worships God by bowing and praying to a photo of their spouse and children. Catholics chant recited Rosaries and pre-written so-called “prayers.” It is 100% manmade tradition and idolatry. I asked a Catholic man why he recites memorized chants, instead of praying from the heart. He said it was the way he was brought up as a child. That is unacceptable to God. The Bible condemns placing family traditions above the Word of God (Mark 7:13). Catholics HATE GOD according to Exodus 20:5.
Oh what wickedness in the sight of God!
The statue of Our Lady of Fatima is idolized while in the possession of that family, guests are invited, a fish fry is cooked, prayers are made to the statue of Our lady of Fatima, the Rosary is chanted… AND GOD IS ANGRY!!! (Exodus 20:4-5).Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

1. Supposedly, the events of Fatima were confirmed by an unprecedented public miracle, the Miracle of the Sun, which occurred at precisely the moment Lucia said it would. More than 70,000 people, including Masons, communists and atheists, reportedly saw the sun, seemingly contrary to all cosmic laws, twirl in the sky, throw off colors and descend to earth. The event was reported in newspapers around the world, including the New York Times.However; the miraculous events which the onlookers reportedly saw were not contrary to nature at all. As a matter of fact, they were VERY NORMAL astronomical events. Please read the following simple explanation for the “miracle” of Fatima from the National UFO Center…

You can also read about Coronal Mass Ejections (CME’s) on NASA’s website. I trust NASA more than the Catholic church (*even though I don’t trust NASA). The Roman Catholic Church has a bad reputation by making things up.Exodus 32:35, “And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.”

2. Another reason why Catholics claim that we should believe the Message of Fatima is because all of the Popes since the Fatima Miracle have recognized that the Message is authentic. Several Popes have gone to Fatima in person, including Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. John Paul II said at Fatima in 1982 that “the Message of Fatima imposes an obligation on the Church.”Realistically, just because the Popes recognize the alleged Message of Our Lady of Fatima as “authentic” is certainly NO PROOF at all. Just because the Pope says something does not make it so. Catholics foolishly elevate their Popes to the idolatrous level of God’s Vicar (representative) on earth. There is NO such teaching found in the Bible. God has no official representative upon the earth. All believers are God’s representatives (2 Corinthians 5:20).

3. Another reason why Catholics claim that we should believe the Message of Fatima is because of other alleged miracles have been performed by God authenticating the Fatima Message as coming from Him, not only at the time of the Miracle of the Sun, October 13, 1917, but down the years to the present day, reported miracles of conversions and cures which science seemingly cannot explain by natural means.However, the Bible clearly teaches that satan can also perform miracles, signs, and wonders (Revelation 13:14). We must be extremely careful about attributing anything to God simply because it is a miracle. Pharaoh’s wicked magicians mimicked the Miracles which God performed at the hand of Moses. Satan is deceiving the world with his miracles, signs, wonders, and damnable heresies.
In addition, Charismatic such as Oral Roberts have been known to scam the masses with fake miracles and rigged healing services (an excellent book to read on this is The Charismatic Movement by Dr. John R. Rice | Order book HERE).

4. Another reason why Catholics claim that we should believe the Message of Fatima is because the Message of Fatima supposedly accurately predicted world events, which proves that it is a true prophecy.The TRUTH is that any idiot saw World Wars coming. I predict that a future war is coming! Wow!, I must be a prophet. Why are the predictions so vague?
Also, the events that Our Lady of Fatima supposedly predicted could have easily been known in advance by Vatican insiders (friends of the richest and most powerful people). For anyone who understands the truth about history, they know that it was Wall Street bankers behind the diabolical Federal Reserve System, WW1, the Great Depression, WW2, etc. It was Wall Street that created Communism. It’s A Conspiracy Too Monstrous To Conceive. IBM manufactured the devices used to stamp serial numbers on holocaust victims.
Henry Ford was a personal friend of Adolph Hitler. I. G. Farben (a German company) was a conglomerate of around 200 companies (many of which were U.S. companies) which manufactured the Zyklon B gas used to murder holocaust victims. The Vatican in Rome was involved in the brutal murdering of millions of innocent people in the holocaust. Did you know that the new Pope, Benedict XVI was a former Hitler Youth? It’s true!
The prediction that Russia would rise to a world-power is NOT surprising in the least when one understands the deliberate creation of Communism.
The Message of the Blessed Virgin of Fatima is nothing more than a ridiculous and evil invention of the Roman catholic Church. There is NO PROOF of any cosmic miracle, other than than testimonies of people who THOUGHT they saw a miracle. What they saw in 1917 was an astronomical event which occurs repeatedly every 11 years. The Vatican used the event to dupe the ignorant masses who thought they had seen a “miracle” of nature. I’m sure that there have been people throughout history who were conned by some smart guy who predicted a solar eclipse, calling it a “miracle.” The Catholic Church thrives on the ignorance of the masses. Most people don’t have enough sense to question the “traditions” and “claims” of the Catholic Church, they just blindly believe the Vatican because they package everything in appealing wrappers. The Catholic religion is all about “eye candy.” They offer a structured, non-spirit based system, from the cradle to the casket, step-by-step religion. Just add participation, no faith required.
I am NOT trying to be unkind. On the contrary, I care about people very much, which is why I am willing to risk being unpopular in exchange for giving you the TRUTH of God’s Word. The Bible does NOT deal in traditions, it is the Word of God. You have been lied to by the Vatican for long enough!

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” –Colossians 2:8
The Message and miracle of Fatima is a lie, a hoax. The Catholic Church propagates to the world that the Blessed Virgin of Fatima gave the following requests to the 3 children:

WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA REQUEST?

At Fatima Our Lady said that God wished to establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said that many souls would be saved from Hell and the annihilation of nations averted if, in time, devotion to Her Immaculate Heart were established principally by these two means:

1) the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by the Pope together with the world’s bishops in a solemn public ceremony, and

(2) the practice or receiving Holy Communion (and other specific devotions of about 1/2 hour in duration) in reparation for the sins committed against the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months–a practice known to Catholics as “the First Saturday” devotion.

WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA WARN?

It warns that if the requests of Our Lady of Fatima for the Consecration of Russia and the First Saturday devotion are not honored, the Church will be persecuted, there will be other major wars, the Holy Father will have much to suffer and various nations will be annihilated. Many nations will be enslaved by Russian militant atheists. Most important, many souls will be lost.

WHAT DOES THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA PROMISE?

The Message of Fatima promises that if the requests of Our Lady of Fatima are carried out “My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will Consecrate Russia to Me, which will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to mankind.
SOURCE: http://www.fatima.org

This stuff is better than science fiction… as a matter of FACT, it is science fiction! Let me quote a phrase from the above article again…
“Our Lady said that many souls would be saved from Hell and the annihilation of nations averted if, in time, devotion to Her Immaculate Heart were established…”
Can anyone show me that in the Bible? No, you CANNOT! John 14:6 tells us that the ONLY way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. . . .
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” –John 14:6
Catholicism is a lie of the Devil! No greater fraud exists in the world today than Roman Catholicism. From the cradle-to-the-casket, Roman Catholicism has a package for you, and it’s all a package of rotten tomatoes. If you die in your sins you’ll burn in Hell fire for all eternity (Revelation 20:11-15). Romans 10:3-4 expressly warns against going about to establish your “OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS.” You have no righteousness friend, and neither do I.
But I’ll tell you what, I do have the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which was imputed (credited) to my eternal record the moment I trusted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior 30-years ago. You can have the same righteousness of God imputed to your eternal record by faith alone in Jesus as the Christ. (Romans 4:6).

Jesus commands in John 5:39 for us to SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES. And He tells us why in the rest of the verse… “for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which TESTIFY OF ME.”
The Scriptures testify completely, exclusively and abundantly about the precious Lord Jesus Christ. In sharp contrast, Jesus’ earthly mother, Mary, is not anything. The Vatican has been grasping at straws for centuries trying to justify the worship of Mary, but it’s impossible to do so with the Word of God. Mary worship clearly originated back at Babel with

The Message of Fatima is Satanic, totally contrary to the Word of God! NO AMOUNT OF DEVOTION to Mary can save a person from hell. Where in the world did Catholics ever get the crazy idea that Mary is to be recognized at all? Read A Woman Rides the Beast. Roman Catholicism has it’s origins in a heathen Babylonian religion which worshipped the “Queen of Heaven” (Jeremiah 44:19,25). …
“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger” —Jeremiah 7:18
The Catholic Church even addresses the “Blessed Virgin Mary” as the “Queen of Heaven,” revealing it’s pagan ancient Babylonian origin. Where do you think they got that term from? It came from ancient Babylon. PLEASE don’t believe the lies of the Catholic religion any more, turn to Jesus Christ by faith and He WILL forgive you and cleanse your sins away with His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18,19; Revelation 1:5; 7:14).Ye Must Be Born Again!

The praise, prayers, and idolization of Our lady of Fatima is the same as witchcraft, because the Devil is the father of Catholicism. Nearly all Catholics are stubborn, close-minded, and knowingly REJECT the knowledge of God (Mark 7:6-13; Romans 10:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 3:19-20 — King James Bible).Matthew 22:29, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.PROOF That Catholics WORSHIP Mary!
(The tradition of Our Lady of Fatima teaches that Mary gives eternal life to those who come to her by way of reciting the Rosary. This is a false Gospel.)

(*emp mine)

I’ve probably stepped on some people’s toes by posting this but that’s too bad. I have to post the Truth (John 8:32 {Veritas Liberat}).

A certain segment of the American population has succeeded in perpetrating the notion of “political correctness” (PC) across a broad base of society. This ideology has infiltrated politics, education, and religion. While touted as a manifestation of “compassion” and “respect” for those with whom one disagrees, the fact is that PC seeks to silence any expression of disagreement that is not in line with its covert agenda.
What, specifically, is PC? A working definition would be the belief that we should avoid language and actions that could be offensive to others, especially those relating to gender and race. For example, the word “fireman” is considered to be a “sexist” term that slights women; the politically correct term would be “firefighter.” Those who embrace PC seek to avoid any forms of expression or action that might be perceived to “exclude,” “marginalize,” or insult any group that is deemed “socially disadvantaged” or discriminated against. Hence, the PC advocate constantly uses terms like “inclusion,” “tolerance,” and “multiculturalism.”
Observe that the term “offensive” refers to the subjective feelings of the individual who deems the term to be hurtful. This definition implies that no objective standard exists by which all conduct, language, and behavior are to be measured. However, the fact is that if there is a God, and He is the God described on the pages of the Bible, then the only standard by which human conduct may be measured and evaluated legitimately is by the Word of God and the Christian moral framework depicted within its pages. If there is no objective, higher standard that transcends human opinions and to which all humans are amenable, then who is to say what is politically correct? Who can authoritatively define “compassion” and “offensive”? Suddenly, all of society is thrown into a confused hodge-podge of conflicting views on proper speech and behavior. Each person becomes a law unto himself and what offends one person is deemed by another as appropriate and valid.
Hence, PC is driven by two foundational presuppositions: (1) since no absolute truth exists, every person’s views are to be considered as equally valid and steps should be taken to facilitate his views and silence all those who disagree; and (2) the beliefs, values, and moral precepts of Christianity are to be rejected and aggressively opposed. This latter assumption explains why the PC people are so accommodating to the encroachment of Islam into American institutions (though Islam is categorically opposed to PC and those who promote it). It also accounts for the open and widespread hostility that exists in the media, Hollywood, and among liberal politicians against Christian morality. Even as Amos described his contemporaries in their quest to silence his righteous pleadings: “They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.” (Amos 5:10). In their campaign to banish “hate speech,” the PC proponent is hypocritically guilty of the same. The solution? “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” (Romans 12:9).
The irrationality of the PC crowd is on display in their frenzied efforts to silence candidates and their supporters who say anything that conflicts with the PC agenda. The expression of any Christian belief that labels certain human behaviors as immoral or sinful is deemed “hate speech” and “racist.” Even otherwise clear-thinking Christians can be caught up in the societal propaganda that redefines critical Bible concepts, twisting them to the service of PC, including “love,” “grace,” “hate,” and “racism.” Even if a Christian possesses deep love and concern for a person overtaken in the sin of homosexuality, or the gender confusion associated with transgenderism, merely to speak against the behavior and suggest homosexual acts to be immoral, sinful, and evil is to invite accusations of “hate” and “intolerance.” Sadly, such sentiments demonstrate the extent to which American civilization and the church itself have lost touch with Almighty God.
After all, under the Law of Moses (authored by God Himself), God required the death penalty for same-sex relations: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind:it is abomination.…the landspue not you outalso, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.” (Leviticus 18:22,28, emp. added). Question: When God identified a particular human behavior as “an abomination” that would cause the land to expel its practitioners, was He guilty of “hate speech” and being “racist”?
Two chapters later, God again declared His view of homosexuality: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman,both of them have committed an abomination: … their blood shall be upon them.Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein,spue you not out.And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, andtherefore I abhorred them.”
(Leviticus 20:13,22-23, emp. added)Question: When God stated that he abhorred those who engage in same-sex relations, was He guilty of “hate speech” and being “racist”?
The psalmist called upon righteous people to possess the appropriate level of disdain for that which God defines as “evil”: “Ye that love the LORD,hateevil:…” (Psalm 97:10). Solomon taught the same concept: “The fear of the LORD is tohateevil:…” (Proverbs 8:13). The prophet Amos articulated the same sentiment: “Hatethe evil, and love the good” (Amos 5:15). The Bible clearly teaches that Christians are not to hate anyone (e.g., Matthew 5:44-48; Luke 6:27-36). Question: When God issued these divine admonitions to hate specific actions committed by humans, was He guilty of “hate speech” and “racism”?
Have Americans, and even Christians, become so accustomed to the moral filth that is rampant across the nation that they no longer blush or possess the same revulsion that God Himself possesses? (Jeremiah 6:15; 8:12). Can we no longer identify with the psalmist when he said: “Ihate and abhorlying: but thy law do I love.” (Psalm 119:163, emp. added)? The words of Proverbs 24:24-25 are extremely apropos: “He that saith unto thewicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him:But tothem that rebuke himshall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.”
Rather than being caught up in the PC atmosphere of our day, Christians would do well to breathe in the Spirit of God by adopting the disposition, attitude, and thinking of Him who sits upon the throne: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8). Such forthright expressions arise from the very nature and character of deity. We would do well to adopt the same perspective, and approach our current moral and spiritual confusion with a firm reliance on the example of God. Indeed, Americans desperately need to reacquaint themselves with the God of the Bible. Failure to do so will inevitably result in national crisis and reproach — “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
(Proverbs 14:34).

Do you only listen to sermons that scratch your itching ears? (Flickr/Travis Isaacs)
Paul warned Timothy that “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
That warning proved true in Timothy’s day, and it has proved true many times since, especially today, when we have a multitude of ear-tickling preachers. How can we recognize them?
We know that deception is very deceiving and that no one is willingly duped. And we know that no one stands up and says, “What I’m teaching is false doctrine meant to deceive and destroy you!”
We also know that it is arrogant for any one of us to think that we alone have sound doctrine while everyone else is in error.
Yet Paul did not warn Timothy in vain, nor is he warning us in vain, and so we must ask ourselves what, exactly, are the distinguishing characteristics of ear-tickling preachers.

1. Ear-tickling preachers bypass self-denial and the cross. Jesus told His disciples that if anyone wanted to follow Him, they had to deny themselves and take up the cross (see Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; in Luke 9:23 He says we must take up our cross daily). And Paul taught that “…they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Galatians 5:24).
Saying no to self and taking up the cross—meaning, giving up the claim to our own lives, dying to this sinful world and renouncing its claims—is a fundamental part of discipleship. Yet ear-tickling preachers will not talk about it.
The reason is obvious: It is not what our flesh wants to hear.

2. Ear-tickling preachers go light on sin. Throughout the Scriptures, both Old Testament and New Testament, including the Gospels, Acts, the Letters, and Revelation, there are warnings about the dangers of sin and calls to turn away from sin.
Of course, it is absolutely true that through the death and resurrection of Jesus and by the power of the Spirit we have been given victory over sin. It is absolutely true that the message of grace, rightly understood, turns us away from sin (see Titus 2:11-14).
But that doesn’t mean that as leaders, we no longer need to warn our hearers about the deceitfulness of sin or urge them to vigilant against sin. To the contrary, because so much grace has been given to us, our responsibility before God is even greater (see Hebrew 2:1-4; 10:26-31; 12:25-29).

3. Ear-tickling preachers are loved by the world. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul recounted the persecutions and suffering he endured for the gospel—they were frequent and intense—and then said, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2 Tim. 3:12-13).
Jesus said that the world would treat us the way it treated Him (John 15:18; Mat. 10:24-25) and that His disciples, like the prophets of old, would be persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:10-12).
He also said, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19).
But the world doesn’t hate ear-tickling preachers because they are “of the world” in their approach to the gospel.
It is one thing to have a good reputation for integrity and purity and to live out what we preach. It is another thing when our message does not offend sinners. As Jesus warned, “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:26).

4. Ear-tickling preachers tell the flesh what it wants to hear. The Old Testament prophets had to deal with this all the time. As Isaiah wrote long ago, “That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” (Isaiah 30:9-11).
In other words, “Don’t make us uncomfortable, preacher! Don’t make us squirm! Stop confronting us with the standards of a holy God!”

A friend recently shared with me that he learned that the owner of a local strip club was attending the same church that he and his family attended.
His sister-in-law approached the pastor and asked him about it, and the pastor said, “At least he’s coming to church. That’s better than not coming at all.”
That would be true, except that the pastor never said a word about sin and never said anything that would make the man uncomfortable about his exploitation of young women (and others). So rather than this man getting convicted of his sins and discovering the life-changing love of God, he went home deceived.
Ultimately, my friend and his family had to leave.

5. Ear-tickling preachers get away from the Word and give way to myths. They may use a verse or two in their preaching, but their sermons are driven by their own worldly ideology—especially if it sells—rather than by the content of the Word.
Some even get into the realm of complete fantasy, preaching alleged heavenly or angelic revelations that titillate the ears of the pseudo-spiritual but do not exalt Jesus, do not turn people away from sin, and do not produce lasting spiritual fruit.
I personally believe there are preachers today who genuinely know the Lord but have bought into a lie about the nature of the gospel, and while they think they are helping people, they are really hurting them in the long run.
May God grant these men and women repentance—especially those who actually are charlatans and deceivers—and may God give us discernment, repentance, and a love for the truth, regardless of cost or consequence.

In other words, contrary to my claims, Christians really are complicit in the Orlando massacre.

Another commenter wrote, “Calling a group of American people perverted, sick, disgusting, child molesters, deviants, evil, depraved, wicked, a mentally ill chosen behavior while accusing them that they are out to destroy the country … and then spending billions on laws that hurt and discriminate … marginalizing them to the point of suicide and creating an atmosphere for hate crimes … doing everything to punish and shame them at an early age, kicking gay children out of their homes … destroying their families and preventing them from attaining their own … vicious, cruel, unrelenting …

“That is HATE. The ‘at least we don’t kill you’ excuse is a FAIL.”

Is there any truth to these claims? Am I wrong in saying that it is immoral and inaccurate to connect Christian teaching with the Orlando tragedy?

Before responding to these charges, let’s not forget that: 1) the murderer, Omar Mateen, pledged allegiance to ISIS in the midst of the slaughter; 2) he reportedly celebrated the 9-11 terrorist attacks when in high school; and 3) a man claiming to be one of his gay lovers says that the killings had nothing to do with Islam and everything to do with Mateen being slighted by Hispanic gays. (Could this be why he allegedly avoided killing African Americans in the bar?)

While the jilted-gay-lover claims remain unclear, what we do know is that the slaughter had nothing to do with Christian teaching.

But is it true that Christians are guilty of hating gays and thereby sparking a toxic, deadly atmosphere? I’m sure that some professing Christians have been hateful, and their words and actions have deeply wounded many in the LGBT community, with some children being driven to despair or even suicide as a result. Whenever I have encountered such hatred I have renounced it clearly and categorically — see here and here for examples — and I have counseled parents whose kids come out as gay to show them unconditional love while not compromising their own standards and values.

But there’s another side to the story which must be told, as uncomfortable as it might be. How did the last generation of Christians encounter homosexuality in the public square, beginning in the late 1960s? Christians encountered homosexuality at gay pride events and at “zaps” and other gay protests to the chants of “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it!” They encountered scantily clad (or naked) men marching down the streets holding signs proclaiming, “God is gay and we want your boys.”

They encountered giant floats with massive phalluses; they encountered drag queens dressed up as Catholic nuns; they encountered topless female bikers celebrating “nipple freedom”; they encountered groups like NAMBLA, the North American Man Boy Love Association, marching in the parades; they encountered the celebration of every kind of sexual fetish, with some events exclusively focused on BDSM.

In fact, it was vulgar displays at a gay pride event in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2004 that first drew my attention to what was happening in the city.

The ugly truth is that gay pride events were infamous for their sexual displays, to the point that the Harvard-trained gay authors Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen addressed this in their watershed book After the Ball in 1989.

They wrote, “What it boils down to is that this community isn’t the personal turf of drag queens and pederasts … The actions of gay pride marchers don’t take place in a vacuum, and, as long as their disastrous tactics drag us down with them, we have a just cause for complaint” (147).

Kirk and Madsen were not happy with the bad rap the drag queens and pederasts were bringing to their community, and as part of their “Self-Policing Social Code,” they suggested the pledge, “If I’m a Pederast or a Sadmasochist, I’ll Keep It Under Wraps, and Out of Gay Pride Marches.”

As I asked in A Queer Thing Happened to America, “What would have happened to the civil rights movement if Black Pride rallies in the 1960s were marked by lewd public displays and a fixation on male genitalia? Wouldn’t this have discredited the whole movement, not to mention the people themselves, in a moment? And what if the immigration rallies of 2006 and 2010 were marked by nudity and gyrating drag queens? Wouldn’t this have severely damaged the cause of illegal immigrants?

The point I’m making is that, by and large, the Church was confronted with the ugliest side of the LGBT community, and, for the most part, it is only in the last decade that many gay pride events have become much tamer, with quite a few wanting to be “family friendly.”

Yet even with all this, Christians were not physically attacking gays at these events. They were not stabbing them or shooting them, although they may have prayed for God’s judgment on these shameful displays.

But I ask again: Was such a reaction so surprising? Was it wrong to think that many (or most) gay men were pederasts, especially in light of the celebration of Greek pederasty of the past? And even to this moment, what are we to make of gay activists like Dan Savage who mock Bible believers and who advocate being “monogamish” rather than monogamous (in other words, having “open” marriages)? Does Savage represent the face of gay America?

As for allegedly “spending billions on laws that hurt and discriminate,” what we have done is respond to the onslaught of gay activism — fueled by its own billions — and said, “We don’t believe in redefining marriage, we believe in religious liberties, we believe in bathroom privacy, and we will fight for those things.”

That is hardly a position of hate.

Ultimately, now that Christians have engaged with family members, friends, and co-workers who identify as LGBT, some of whom attend church regularly and share many similar family values, these Christians have responded with a message of love, reaching out with compassion without compromising the truth, as hard as that truth may appear to be.

By God’s grace, we will continue to do this very thing, knowing that preaching the truth of the Scriptures leads to life, not death, to freedom, not bondage. And we will do this full of the love of God, repudiating hatred wherever we see it and renouncing calls for violence against gays as utterly and completely unchristian.

We will do it despite the flood of hatred that comes our way day and night from many in the LGBT community.

Because God is love (1 John 4:8), He has allowed humans to choose their own eternal destiny. Jesus Christ made this fact plain when He said, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14). Joshua made a similar statement when He declared to ancient Israel, “…choose you this day whom ye will serve;…” (Joshua 24:15). Throughout the course of human history, there have always been those who claim to be choosing God’s way, but in reality choose the exact opposite. Of course, this has never fooled God, and it should not fool His followers. The Israelites could not bow down to graven images and honestly claim that they were “choosing” Jehovah as their God. Jesus’ listeners could not continue their lives of selfishness and disobedience to God and successfully maintain that they were choosing the narrow road.
This idea of choosing sin but calling it God’s way is not new, but it is being seen in our culture in more obvious and perverse ways than ever before. Take the case of Trey Pearson, the lead singer of the contemporary Christian rock band Everyday Sunday. He recently explained to his fans that he has been gay for 20 years. He married and had children, but will no longer live a heterosexual lifestyle. He hopes that his fans will continue to follow him and buy his music. He claims that his homosexuality is perfectly in-line with Jesus and His teachings. He stated, “There is absolutely no conflict with accepting who I am and following Jesus. God wants me to be healthy, authentic, whole, integrated, and my truest self” (Weber, 2016). 1
Trey Pearson is correct about one thing. God does want him to be healthy, authentic, whole, and his truest self. He is sadly mistaken in making the sinful, perverse claim that leaving his wife to fulfill his homosexual lusts is somehow the fulfillment of God’s plan for his life. Jesus and the New Testament writers absolutely did, in no uncertain terms, confine God-approved sex to a monogamous marriage between one man and one woman. 2 By defining marriage as between one male and one female, Jesus condemned all other arrangements, including but not limited to, one man and two women, one woman and two men, three men and one woman, three men and three women, one man and another man, one woman and one animal, etc. You can see the overwhelming logic of such. When He defined marriage between one man and one woman, He clearly showed that such an arrangement is the only one authorized by God.
Now to the main point. Homosexuality is a sin that people can choose if they so desire. They can even claim that their behavior is completely in-line with Jesus and His teachings. But the fact that they claim this to be the case, does not make it so. In truth, Trey Pearson and all others who claim to be following Jesus, but continue to practice their sinful, unnatural, perverse sexuality outside of a God-approved marriage are just like those to whom Jesus’ said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” (Matthew 15:8). Again, Jesus cut to the heart of such illogical thinking when He said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21).

The only possible way for any of us to be true to ourselves and spiritually healthy is to repent of our sins, fall at the feet of our Lord, and obey His commands from the heart. Would to God that our culture would wake up to the reality and truth of the inspired apostle Paul’s statement, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). No adulterer, homosexual, liar, or the like is beyond the power of Jesus’ blood to forgive if that person will repent and turn from his or her sin. If our culture continues to cling to such sinful lifestyles as homosexuality, claiming that Jesus approves, then Jesus’ bold words will echo from the pages of the New Testament as a haunting reminder of God’s love and justice, “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3). People can choose to practice homosexuality, but they cannot be following Jesus if they do.

Editor’s Note: As perhaps one million Christians are expected to gather on the National Mall for a day of prayer and worship, will Jesus change everything? That’s their hope. In this blog post, David Bryant writes with anticipation of what may happen as he remembers another event in which Jesus changed everything.

“The moment I stood up I started sneezing sod!”

That was the testimony of a respected Christian leader almost two decades ago after prostrating himself in the dirt on the grassy Mall in our nation’s capital.

He went on: “My face was pressed so tightly into the ground that the soil I breathed in kept me hacking for the next twenty-four hours! But I don’t care. It was a moment I will never forget. It was utterly life-changing for me in my relationship with Christ.”

He was talking about a spell of silence observed October 4, 1997, when an estimated 1.5 million men converged from every corner of our land onto that mammoth public field in DC.

Called “Stand in the Gap,” it was the first-ever gathering of its kind in Church history—six hours of concerted prayer for a national revival voiced by over a million men of every age, denomination, and ethnicity.

As it so happened, right in the middle of the event I invited that sea of faces, stretching back beyond the Washington monument, to lie prostrate on the ground for three minutes of absolute stillness.

I asked them to take the time to focus on and worship the living Christ, reminding them that in the fullness of his supremacy as God’s Son he alone was the ultimate answer to thousands of prayers that day and the ultimate hope for the future of our nation.

I want to tell you the story behind those three minutes and the on-going impact that resulted because something similar, with even greater possibilities, is scheduled less than a month from now.

July 16: Will Jesus Change Everything?

On July 16, 2016, another huge group is assembling on the National Mall for “Together 2016“–possibly a million strong, consisting primarily of a diverse group of Millennials and younger ages. The purpose of the event is (using their own words): “To stand up for Jesus,” believing “#Jesus changes everything,” and asking him to “reset our nation” spiritually.

We’re convening to seek God to grant America through his Son a gracious miracle of a new beginning morally and spiritually. Said another way, the day is about praying for the “Christ Awakening movement” I’ve been writing and talking about since before 1997.

Could “Together 2016” become the tipping point for such a movement? Could it be the hour when the Kingdom breaks through to change our nation forever?

To answer, I need to take you back to 1997 and the reason for those three minutes of silence.

“Please Throw Your Talk Away”

Sponsored initially by the extraordinary Promise Keepers men’s ministry, Stand in the Gap took six hours to weave together sessions of prayer with worship segments and brief talks interspersed to keep us moving in the same direction in our prayers. Having worked with PK throughout that decade, I was asked to be one of the speakers, toward the end of the second hour.

I had my message all ready to go. About twenty minutes before stepping onto the platform I met in a tent behind the stage with about sixty men and women who prayed over every speaker.

As they circled me and laid hands on me, beginning one by one to pray for my presentation, to my great surprise I began to cry. Actually, weep. No, actually sob. And I could not stop.

Inside my head I could hear myself saying, “Father, what are these tears all about? What are you trying to tell me?”

Eventually, as the others kept praying, it seemed the Holy Spirit gave me two answers.

The First Thing I Heard as I Wept

First he said, “Please throw your talk away.” I felt he was compelling me to do precisely what I did do twenty minutes later.

At the mike, broadcast over Jumbotrons scattered throughout the grounds, I laid aside the speech I had prepared and instead read to the men that matchless description of the Lord Jesus as John saw him in his ascended glory in Revelation 1.

Men, we’ve been praying for two hours; we’ve got four more to go. But when all has been said, in the end we know that God’s redeeming and reigning Son, seated on the throne at his right hand as Head of the Church and “ruler of the Kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5), is the singular answer to our cries and the only one able to raise our nation from the dead.Therefore, I want to invite all of us, from Capitol Hill to beyond the Monument, to do what John did. Let’s prostrate ourselves before our Savior, in silence, like dead men, and simply do nothing . . . other than focus on him and worship him and honor him in whom and by whom all God’s promises are fulfilled. Let’s just listen to him who is in himself the one great hope for America.

And that’s precisely what everyone did.

Stretching for fifteen blocks of the National Mall, that multitude of men were flat out with their faces buried in the dirt—not one word spoken, not one sound heard, for three (what seemed like) very long minutes.

Look at What Happened Next!

Often I’m asked the question: Out of 40 years of Christian ministry what would be the highlight if you had to choose just one?

I have no trouble answering that question.

The most significant, most potent, most productive ministry I’ve ever had happened in those three minutes, when personally I did nothing—when all of us did nothing—but focus in absolute awe on the glory and greatness of Christ.

For you see, since that day I’ve lost count of the men who have come up to me in my travels to share what the Holy Spirit did for them in the silence—pastors who felt their ministries were restored to them; laymen who had life-changing encounters with Jesus; numbers who actually were born again during those moments (some of whom are leading Christian organizations today); drug addicts who were delivered; atheists who were converted.

Do you see? There were Christ Awakenings taking place all over the Mall that day while all of us did nothing except the one thing most needed: We exalted and exulted in God’s Son for all he is in his amazing majesty and spectacular supremacy.

The Second Thing I Heard as I Wept

But there’s one more part to this story.

And it brings us full circle to “Together 2016” and its potential in July.

In the prayer tent, as I wept uncontrollably, while intercessors surrounded me, the other thing I felt the Holy Spirit impress on me was this (a very simple but specific sentence):

David, what you are about to see before your very eyes
is merely a picture of things to come.

As the October 4 program continued, over and over I pondered those words: Christians. On their faces. Before the King of kings. As a picture of things to come. What could it all mean?

It wasn’t long before things came clear to me. Let me paraphrase what I believe the Father was showing me:

David, one day, not long from now, believers on their faces being silent before my Son will become a way of life for my people. This will happen as Christ Awakenings spread throughout the churches in this land. The manifest presence of my Son as Lord of all will saturate my people in such tangible ways that within theirheartsthey will remain, as it were, on their faces before him—listening to him; fully alive to him; wholly devoted to him; longing to know him and grow up in him; eager to serve him; prepared to share him near and far; giving him the supremacy in everything.

The Second Thing I Heard as I Wept

But there’s one more part to this story.

And it brings us full circle to “Together 2016” and its potential in July.

In the prayer tent, as I wept uncontrollably, while intercessors surrounded me, the other thing I felt the Holy Spirit impress on me was this (a very simple but specific sentence):

David, what you are about to see before your very eyesis merely a picture of things to come.

As the October 4 program continued, over and over I pondered those words: Christians. On their faces. Before the King of kings. As a picture of things to come. What could it all mean?

It wasn’t long before things came clear to me. Let me paraphrase what I believe the Father was showing me:

David, one day, not long from now, believers on their faces being silent before my Son will become away of lifefor my people. This will happen as Christ Awakenings spread throughout the churches in this land. The manifest presence of my Son as Lord of all will saturate my people in such tangible ways that within theirheartsthey will remain, as it were, on their faces before him—listening to him; fully alive to him; wholly devoted to him; longing to know him and grow up in him; eager to serve him; prepared to share him near and far; giving him the supremacy in everything.

Looking Toward July 16

And that is the prime hope that shapes my prayers for July 16.

I pray there might be an actual moment that very day when, literally, everything stops—when speakers, musicians, singing, even prayers come to a total halt.

I pray there will be an opportunity for that crowd of Christians to get on their faces and prostrate themselves in perfect silence before the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Hope of our Nation—just to honor him, to hear him, to adore him as the Jesus who changes everything, the Jesus who must change his Church first of all.

There, before him like dead people, I pray we might experience the richest possible fulfillment of that earthly drama—as the Spirit of God, then and there, reintroduces a multitude of God’s people to God’s Son for ALL he is right now, and then sends us forth to spread that vision from coast to coast and beyond.

July 16.

Should it be . . . could it be . . . will it be . . . must it be . . . the beginning of a profound “reset” that results in nothing less than a nationwide Christ Awakening movement?

How will you pray for that day between now and then?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: David Bryant

Known as a proclaimer of Christ and Messenger of Hope, David Bryant is the founder and president of Proclaim Hope!, an outreach whose goal is to serve a nationwide Christ Awakening. David is the author of many books, including Christ Is ALL! Join in the Joyful Awakening to the Supremacy of God’s Son. David and Robyne have been serving Christ together for over 40 years. Their most important ministry, however, remains centered on their three adult children and their spouses, and their four grandchildren.

First thing to notice is that the manuscript evidence for inclusion of “and fasting” is literally 10 to 1, so what do the modern translators follow, the 1 corrupt manuscript where it is missing. The parallel verse is Matthew 17:21. Jesus then tells them that this kind of devil, which teaches us that some of the devils are much more wicked than others. (Mat 12:45 KJV) Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
The type of devil which had this boy was of the type who stayed in the person for a long period of time and was of the most evil type in that his goal seemed to want to kill that boy. What seemed lacking with the disciples was that since their faith was lacking and they were in unbelief, they would also have had very weak prayers, if they prayed at all. Then Jesus adds fasting in there which means they would have denied themselves food and water until the devil had left the boy. The fast means they would have been more concentrated on the situation at hand rather than praying for him and then taking lunch. Then there is the other kind of fast which the Bible speaks about and that is a spiritual fast. (Isa 58:5-7 KJV) Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? {6} Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? {7} Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
The fast which the believer must partake in goes back to the principle of the believer utterly denying themselves for the purpose of following Christ. A Christian denies self to help bring the Gospel to others and when they become saved they are freed from any satanic oppression.